Unless there is vairagya, there is no question of happiness. But we cannot attain vairagya immediately; therefore the vidhi-marga, vidhi-marga-bhakti: to rise early in the morning, to attend mangala arati, to offer Deity flowers, fruits, and in this way we shall be engaged twenty-four hours. Then vairagya-vidya will gradually develop. Anarthopasamam saksad bhakti-yogam adhoksaje [SB 1.7.6]. Then the anartha… This material life is simply anartha, has no meaning, because we are creating another life. Without any spiritual knowledge, if we simply give ourself to the action and reaction of material nature, then we are making progress on the path of mrtyu-samsara vartmani [Bg. 9.3], and if we attain Krsna, then mam upetya kaunteya duhkhalayam asasvatam, napnuvanti [Bg. 8.15]. The two ways. So our request is that you have taken to this vairagya-vidya. So vairagya-vidya, we do not say that you starve, don’t eat anything, don’t sleep at all. No. It should be regulated. Anasaktasya visayan yathartham upayunjatah [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.255]. Don’t be attached to eating, sleeping. That is not good. But you must eat, you must sleep as little as possible, and try to conquer over it. My mind dictating, “Sleep seventeen hours.” No. That is tapasya. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. Why shall you sleep more than four hours or five hours, or utmost six hours? That’s all, not more than that. That is vairagya-vidya. We have to learn it. That is devotional service.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.6.6 -— November 28, 1976, Vrndavana